


Mother and Daughter

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-03-12 15:11:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13549941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Alex takes her mother on a trail ride in an attempt to find happiness again.





	Mother and Daughter

Alex smiled as she stood over the sleeping form of the woman on the couch. She had offered her mother the bed but, well, her mother had insisted on using the couch. She was like that, always willing to suffer for her children. Alex had insisted on giving her the comfiest pillows and quilt, though, and her mother had reluctantly agreed to that, but only because Alex’s were just as good. Everything at the manor was good like that.

“Hey, mama, wake up,” said Alex, gently shaking her mother by the shoulder. Her mother blinked open her eyes, squinting as though the light filtering in through the curtains was the brightest thing she’d ever seen. She held a hand up in front of her eyes.

“Alex, it’s too early to be up,” her mother grumbled, turning and burying her face into her pillow. Alex sighed but smiled.

“Come on, mama, you’re the one who said you wanted to go on a trail ride with me,” said Alex.

“I thought you meant sometime during the day,” said her mother into the pillow. “Not at this ungodly hour.” Alex laughed.

“Mama, it’s only six,” said Alex. Her mother scoffed.

“Only six,” said her mother. “Nobody is up that early!”

“Actually, a lot of people are,” said Alex. “The stable girls are all up, even the Baroness is up and about.

“Good for them,” said her mother. “Try waking me again in an hour.”

“But mama, you’re going to miss so much if you sleep in,” said Alex. “And you know your doctor said getting into a good routine will be good for you. So will waking up early.”

“I wish I had your fire,” said her mother. She sighed. “Fine then, go and get me a coffee, that might wake me up a little.”

“Okay,” said Alex, giving her mother a kiss on the forehead. It was nice, to not have the fumes of alcohol or cigarettes immediately hit her nostrils when she leaned in close to her mother. Being in a winery was probably not the best place for her mother’s recovery, but Alex had already paid to board Tin Can here so it was too expensive to move him.

Alex wasn’t at all surprised to find her mother asleep when she returned with a mug of black coffee, which she set down on the coffee table in front of the couch. 

“Mama,” said Alex, laughter in her voice as she shook her mother awake again. Her mother grumbled but sat up, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

“Alright, alright,” said her mother with a yawn. “Let’s get going.”

“Come out here on the balcony with me, actually,” said Alex, walking over to the balcony doors and pushing them open. She stepped out into the chilly morning air, which always woke her up better than any coffee or anything else could. The smell of drying dew made her smile, as did the sight of the birds going on their early-morning flights. The sky was a beautiful pale blue, with the golden sun rising over in the direction of Fort Pinta.

“It’s cold,” her mother muttered, pulling a pink robe tighter around herself with one hand while her other hand gripped the coffee mug tightly. She sipped at the hot, bitter liquid within, already looking more awake just at the first sip.

“Pure coffee and hot water, just the way you like it,” said Alex, smiling at her mother’s smile.

“I’m glad you remembered,” said her mother, coming to lean on the railing as well. Alex enjoyed the silence, content in the knowledge that her mother was right there beside her and wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon. At least, not until she’d finished her coffee and made herself look presentable.

“I’ve got your rental horse ready for you,” said Alex. “Bob, I think his name is.” Her mother chuckled.

“Bob is such a simple name,” said her mother. “And then we have you, calling your horse Tin Can.”

“Heh, yeah, Bob is a pretty stupid name,” said Alex. “But I didn’t name him.”

After finishing her coffee, Alex’s mother got changed into a riding outfit, complete with helmet and jodphurs, and brushed her hair, tying it back in a low ponytail.

“Here, put these on,” said Alex, handing her mother a pair of riding boots. “Don’t worry, they’re your size.”

“Thanks,” said her mother. Noticing the excited gleam in Alex’s eyes, she smiled. “You’ve been planning this for ages, haven’t you, my daughter?”

“Guilty,” said Alex with a laugh. “But can you blame me? What girl wouldn’t want her mother to come riding with her?”

“Especially since I accidentally let it slip that I used to ride,” said her mother. “Back when I was a girl.” She looked sad for a moment, but Alex touched her hand, giving her the smallest static shock.

“Hey, no moping,” said Alex. “We’re going to have a lovely ride, just the two of us, and then we’ll go into Jorvik City for ice cream or something.”

“That sounds like a wonderful plan,” said her mother. She cleared her throat to get rid of the negative emotions, though her eyes teared up again as she pulled her socks on and then slipped into the riding boots. When she stood, she looked like a proper rider, if a little scruffy. But Alex couldn’t help but grin, though she had tears in her own eyes.

“Oh, mama,” said Alex, her voice hoarse, and hugged her mother tightly, grinning as she hid the tears in her mother’s hair. She tried to be subtle about wiping the tears away, but her mother caught it anyway, and laughed.

“Hey, if I’m not allowed to cry, you’re not, either,” said her mother. Alex laughed, trying hard not to cry.

“Sorry,” said Alex. “Alright, let’s go, our horses await.”

The two women set out from the winery at the front entrance, deciding to take the road to Silverglade and then further on until they reached Mistfall. It would be a long ride, but, well, there was a bus stop outside Dundull, and stables where they could rest their horses at the end. In the early morning sunlight, Alex noticed that her mother seemed to be smiling more as she sat atop the light grey Hanoverian gelding. Tin Can seemed quite small in comparison, but Alex knew that the added height would only be a good thing for her mother’s confidence. She smiled as her mother tipped her head back, letting the sun shine on her face.

“It’s been twenty years or more, I don’t know how I still know how to do this,” said her mother as she kept her hands light on the reins and allowed her horse to walk along the road.

“Heh, yeah,” said Alex. “You’re doing amazing, mama.” And, though there were a few problems, especially with her mother’s posture, Alex chose not to comment on this. Her mother was so happy, saying anything that would bring her down would be the worst thing to do.

“Not as good as you,” said her mother, seeing the way Alex sat on Tin Can and barely had to touch the reins to get him to turn.

“Mama, you know why I’m so good at this,” said Alex with a laugh. “You should’ve seen me when I had to borrow another horse for a few months, though, it was so embarrassing. Maya caught the whole thing on camera, of course.” Her mother laughed, more heartily than she had in years.

“Oh my, I can imagine,” said her mother, wiping away a tear of humour this time. Alex grinned. “So, who’s Maya?” Her mother grinned in that way that all adults did when they suspected that their child had a crush.

“Mama,” said Alex, blushing, and tried to will the sadness away. “You know she’s just a friend.”

Alex hated the silence that descended, knowing that her mother was surely beating herself up over that blunder.

“I’m sorry,” said her mother. “I know that I haven’t been… nice about this whole thing. Especially to begin with.”

“It’s okay, you had your reasons to think that,” said Alex. Her mother had said awful things about Anne, saying that she’d known that Anne would eventually break her daughter’s heart, and that running off and abandoning Alex was exactly something that a girl like her would do. Alex had left not long after that, saying that she needed to be closer to the druids in order to better find her lost girlfriend. The truth was that she just couldn’t be around someone who talked about Anne like that.

“At least now, you know where she is,” said her mother.

“Yeah,” said Alex, her voice still a little rough. Taking a deep breath, she pulled herself out of those memories, not wanting to mope when she was trying to help her mother heal. Instead, she told her mother about the land that they passed through, about the different plants and animals and the things that had happened while she’d been here. Her mother laughed long and loudly when Alex told her about the Councilman’s missing pants, which Louisa had told her about immediately after it had happened. And she congratulated Alex on saving Silverglade Village from certain doom, a story which only came up because Alex decided to go into the village and pick up some snacks for the ride.

“You’re a local hero,” said her mother as they left the village, cupcakes in tow (they’d been on the house for Silverglade’s Saviour, Harold had insisted on it).

“Yeah, again,” said Alex, rubbing the back of her neck. “It’s a bit to get used to.”

“I always hoped my children would grow up to become famous,” said her mother. Tears came to Alex’s eyes again, but she blinked them away.

As they rode through the Fields of Gold, staying off the road away from the dangerous drivers, Alex finally decided to bring up the past again.

“I’m sorry I left you like that,” said Alex. “I was upset.”

“I know,” said her mother, giving her a gentle look before turning to look back at the grass ahead of her. “I said all the wrong things, and you didn’t need that right then.”

“It’s hard when someone agrees with you while your heart is convinced it’s something else,” said Alex. “I’m glad it was something else, as bad as this ‘something else’ is.”

“I am too,” said her mother. “I’m glad I was wrong about her.”

“And maybe she was drawn there,” said Alex. “Maybe it was the Generals, like how they tricked the Baroness into locking Linda in the library.”

“Maybe,” said her mother. She doubted it, but she didn’t want to upset her daughter by letting her know that.

As they rode past the apple orchard on the other side of the river, Bob suddenly took a detour, breaking for the apples that lay, half-rotting, on the ground. Alex’s mother cried out but managed to remain in her seat, also managing to pull Bob to a stop. Bob snorted, jerking the reins out of the woman’s hands so that he could lower his head and munch on the cidery apple. Alex’s mother panted, her face white, her heart pounding. Alex rode beside her, glaring at Bob.

“You okay, mama?” asked Alex. Her mother nodded, her hand on her heart.

“Yes, I’m fine,” said her mother. “He just scared me, that’s all.”

“Hehe, some horses just can’t resist temptation, I guess,” said Alex. Tin Can looked back at her, his big brown eyes begging. “Alright, fine, you can eat one apple off the ground.” Tin Can whinnied and bent his head, picking an apple up in his teeth and munching on it.

“You know, I think I just might take Marley up on his offer to teach me,” said her mother. Alex stared at her, grinning.

“Yes! I hoped you would,” said Alex, punching the air in triumph. “You’ll love it, mama, trust me.”

“Okay, but only if you come with me on my first lesson,” said her mother. Alex nodded, holding out her pinky finger. Her mother extended hers as well.

“Pinky promise,” said Alex, grinning. “I might not be able to be with you for lessons every day, but I can try.”

“That’s all I ask,” said her mother.

The rest of their ride was fairly uneventful, Alex’s mother cooing over the squirrels, foxes, and birds that they saw on their way through Mistfall. By the time they reached Dundull, Alex’s mother had one of those smiles that permeated her entire being. Her eyes shone with it, her face was lit up, she even sat up a little straighter just because she felt so good. When she dismounted at the stable, though, her knees almost buckled.

“Woah, mama, are you okay?” asked Alex, catching her arm and helping her over to the fence so that she could lean on it.

“Yes, Alex, I’m fine,” said her mother with a laugh. “Wow, I probably shouldn’t have ridden so far.”

“Hey, your body might be regretting it, but I haven’t seen you look so happy in ages,” said Alex, her eyes shining as she grinned.

“I am happy,” said her mother, smiling up at her daughter. “Thank you for this, Alex.”

“Anything for you, mama,” said Alex, giving her mother a hug. When she let go of her, her mother managed to stand on her own, though her knees were still a little shaky.

“You know, I’ve never seen this part of Jorvik before,” said her mother, looking around at the different lighting and the many butterflies flitting about.

“Oh, we can stay a while if you want,” said Alex. “I’d come here after school sometimes, it’s a really nice place.”

“Show me around,” said her mother, grinning as she stretched her legs. After removing the tack from their horses and leaving them to wander around the paddock or graze as they wished, Alex took her mother into town, showing off all of the wares that were for sale in the little Viking town.

“Wow, I haven’t seen you around here for a while,” said a girl who stood in the town square with an older red-headed woman.

“Rania!” Alex cried, giving the blind girl a cheery embrace as she grinned. She turned to her mother. “Mama, this is Rania, she’s like the dark-skinned, blind version of me.”

“Pleased to meet you, Mrs Cloudmill,” said Rania, holding out her hand. Mrs Cloudmill shook it, wondering how Rania had done that. Maybe she wasn’t completely blind?

“How did you know it was us?” asked Mrs Cloudmill, hoping that that question wasn’t too insensitive.

“Oh, Alex smells like an oncoming storm,” said Rania. “Stop grinning, you idiot.” Alex laughed.

“My daughter has some enhanced senses due to her disability,” said the older woman, smiling at Mrs Cloudmill. “Hi there, I’m Sigry Varanger.” She held her hand out, and Mrs Cloudmill shook it, smiling in return, though she felt a little nervous around these friendly strangers. 

“Are you just passing through?” asked Rania.

“Yeah,” said Alex. “We’ve just stopped here because mama needed to stretch her legs after that ride. We rode here from the winery.”

“It was my first ride in over twenty years,” said Mrs Cloudmill, smiling as she rubbed her arms.

“And you took her that far? Alex!” Rania chided, and Alex laughed.

“But I enjoyed every second,” said Mrs Cloudmill.

“Your muscles are going to hate you tomorrow,” said Sigry with a chuckle. “But it’s well worth it.”

“The way I feel right now, I definitely agree,” said Mrs Cloudmill. “How are the cafes here? I could do with a good feed after that ride.” They’d already eaten the cupcakes on the ride here, the paper cases stowed safely away in Alex’s saddlebag. Her stomach growled loudly, making them all laugh.

“The food here is great,” said Rania. “Especially when you’ve got berries fresh from the forest and the best spring water in all of Jorvik right on your doorstep.”

“I swear, this daughter of mine could be a tourism advertisement,” said Sigry, trying to ruffle her daughter’s hair. Rania ducked out of the way, though, laughing.

“I’ll say,” said Mrs Cloudmill with a chuckle. Alex grinned, already formulating the next step in her mother’s plan of healing. She’d found something she loved, but friends could only help her mother in her journey to find happiness.


End file.
